Meatless Monday: Jumping for Japchae

For years, I’d heard about japchae, a classic Korean noodle dish, but assumed it was too complicated or time consuming (and possibly beef-centric) to give my full attention.

Sweet potato cellophane noodles in their pre-soaked state. Photo by Kim O'Donnel.

Then last week, I’m leafing through a review copy of  “The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook,” an auspicious debut for food writer Patricia Tanumihardja. I’m tearing bits of paper into makeshift bookmarks reminding me of all the recipes I need to get acquainted with. And then I flip to page 246, where a recipe for japchae jumps out at me.

I take a quick scan of Korean granny Sang Jung Choi’s version and I see nothing complicated, time consuming or beef centric about this dish at all. I could hear the package of dangmyeon (sweet potato cellophane noodles) cheering me on from the pantry.

The first  (and perhaps the most off-putting) thing to know about dangmyeon is that it’s an odd shade of gray and after a 10-minute soak in hot water, it’s still gray and kinda resembles a bowl of earthworms.  Don’t let the gray scare you off; you’re in for a decidedly un-wormy treat. Once these translucent strands do a dance in the wok with soy sauce and sesame oil, they morph into a more familiar golden-brown.

Otherwise, it’s got a chewy, almost bouncy texture, but plays well with all kinds of crisp veg and dresses up real nice when it’s time for supper.  For this cook, one of japchae’s most appealing qualities is its easy-going, versatile personality; instead of mushrooms, to which I’m allergic, I substituted more color and crunch from a red bell pepper, and instead of spinach, I used freshly picked red chard.

As we tucked into our bowls, my husband wondered if a little bit of chopped ginger might be nice, and I’ve made a note, yes indeed. A few of us (including a hard-core meat eater, who went back for thirds) added the heat of Sriracha, yet another deviation from granny’s recipe.

Whatever you decide, japchae will make you happy. You will get dinner on the table in less than an hour, you will have enough for lunch the next day and you will have eaten an impressive amount of vegetables in just one sitting.

P.S. Dangmyeon is sold in Asian supermarkets, but can also be ordered online for cooks living far from the big city.

Stir-Fried Glass Noodles (Japchae)
Adapted from “The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook” by Patricia Tanumihardja

Ingredients
1 pound dried Korean sweet potato noodles (aka dangmyeon)
½ bunch spinach, trimmed (KOD note: I used equal parts red chard, stemmed, and it was delightful)
2 tablespoons  vegetable oil, plus more as needed
6 medium dried black mushrooms, rehydrated and cut into thin slices (KOD: Due to an allergy, I omitted the ‘shrooms, but instead added 1 red bell pepper, julienned)
1 small yellow onion, halved and cut into thin crescents
2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
3 scallions, washed thoroughly, root removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Method
Place noodles in a large bowl and add enough hot water to cover. Soak for about 15 minutes.  With kitchen shears, cut into 3 or 4-inch pieces.  Don’t worry if it’s not perfect.  Drain and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, place greens and cover with very hot water for 1-2 minutes until wilted but not completely cooked. Remove from water and squeeze out any remaining water. Roughly chop.

Preheat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in vegetable oil and heat until it starts to shimmer. Add vegetables and aromatics and cook until carrots are a bit tender, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat and add noodles, using tongs to distribute evenly and coat with vegetables.

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add to wok, and stir until evenly coating the noodles.  Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, adding more oil if noodles stick to bottom of pan.

Taste for salt and other flavors and adjust as needed. Fold in greens and sesame seeds at end and toss a few times.

Serve hot or eat at room temperature.

Makes 6-8 servings as part of a family-style meal.